Buoyant seaweed collecting fence



Nov. 2, 1954 s, c, STUBBS 2,693,161

BUOYANT SEAWEED COLLECTING FENCE Filed June 18, 1952 INVESTOR sa /1W4 c.a 7053s ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice BUOYANT SEAWEED COLLECTINGFENCE sherman C. Stubbs, Danville, Ill.

Application June 18, 1952, Serial No. 294,283

1 Claim. (Cl. 114--0.5)

This invention relates to a novel collecting device for seaweed in oceanareas and more particularly to a fence adapted to be disposed insubstantially an upright position in the water having a submerged lowerportion and an upper portion extending substantially above the waterlevel to prevent seaweed from washing over the top of the fence.

More particularly, it is an aim of the invention to provide a novelconstruction of fence of woven wire construction having rigid uprightmetal posts to which the fence wire is secured together with buoyantmeans extending longitudinally of the fence substantially intermediateof its upper and lower edges, for maintaining the fence partially in asubmerged position and with an upper portion of the fence extendingupwardly from the level of the body of water in which the collectingdevice is disposed.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a novel means forflexibly connecting sections of the fence disposed between upright fenceposts thereof to allow the fence sections to flex relatively to oneanother.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the seaweed collecting fence;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of afportion of thefence looking toward the rear side therei f Figure 3 is a fragmentaryend elevational view of the ence;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan view thereof;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary top plan view, partly in section, on anenlarged scale relatively to Figure 4, showing the flexibility of theadjacent fence sections;

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along aplane as indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 2, and

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view, taken substantially along a planeas indicated by the line 7-7 of Figure 6.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the seaweed collecting fencein its entirety is designated generally 8, and includes a plurality oflongitudinally spaced upright fence posts 9, each of which is oftriangular shape in cross section, as best seen in Figures 4, 5 and 6.Each post 9 has a plurality of longitudinally spaced aligned openings 10formed in the front side 11 and the rear edge 12 thereof. A bolt shank13 extends loosely through each pair of aligned openings 10. Each boltshank 13 has a turned back hook shaped head 14, the bill portion ofwhich extends into the hollow interior of the post 9 through an openingdisposed adjacent the opening 10 of the front wall 11 through which thebolt shank 13 extends, so that the bight portion of each hook 14 isspaced outwardly from the front side 11 of the post 9. An opening 15 isdisposed adjacent each opening 10 of the front wall 11 of each post 9.The posts 9 are connected adjacent their upper and lower ends bylongitudinally extending cables 16 which extend through the hooks 14 ofthe uppermost and lowermost bolts 13 of the posts 9. The cables 16 areclamped against the front sides 11 of the posts 9 by the hooks 14 beingdrawn inwardly for clamping the cables between the front sides 11 of theposts and the bight portions of the books 14. The threaded shanks of thebolts 13 which project from the rear edges 12 of the posts 9 each extendthrough a 2,693,161 Patented Nov. 2, 1954 relatively thick washer 17 andthrough a nut 18 which is threaded thereon and which bears against theouter or rear end of the washer 17. Each washer 17 has a notched forwardend 17a to receive the rear edge of the post 9 with which it isassociated. It will be readily apparent that the nuts 18 may betightened for drawing the bolt shanks rearwardly through the posts 9 toclamp the cables 16 against the front sides 11 of said posts.

Each of the bolts 13 disposed between the upper and lower bolts of eachpost 9 is likewise provided with a Washer 17 and a nut 18. One of saidbolts 13 of each post 9, which is disposed substantially intermediate ofthe upper and lower ends of the post, extends through a plate 19,through which plate the turned back bill portion of the hook 14 likewiseextends. The plates 19 are thus clamped against the front sides 11 ofthe posts 9 substantially intermediate of their upper and lower ends.

An elongated hollow container 20 which is sealed to form a float,extends between the adjacent ends of adjacent plates 19, one of saidfloats 20 being disposed between each two adjacently disposed posts 9.The floats 20 are disposed behind the fence 8 and are provided withhinged barrel portions extending from the forward sides thereof andforming integral extensions of the ends of said floats, said hingedbarrel portions 21 inter-fit with corresponding hinged barrel portions22 formed at each end of each plate 19 through which interfitting barrelportions 21 and 22 hinge pins 23 extend, for swingably mounting the endsof the floats 20 relatively to the plates 19 and the fence posts 9. Itwill thus be seen that the ferfice posts and floats are flexiblyconnected to one anot er.

The ends of the top and bottom cables 16 are preferably joined byupright end cable portions 16a which extend lengthwise along the frontsides 11 of the two end posts 9a, as illustrated in Figure 3. The endposts 9a are only provided with the bolts 13 and associated parts at theupper and lower ends thereof and one intermediate bolt, not shown, formounting a plate 19 to each end post.

A strip of mesh Wire, designated generally 24, extends from end-to-endof the fence 8 and is attached thereto by longitudinal edge portions ofthe mesh wire fencing 24 being looped around the longitudinal top andbottom cables 16, as indicated at 25 in Figure 2. The end portions ofthe fencing 24 have loops 25a engaging around the end cable portions16a. The individual strands of the mesh wire fencing 24 are intertwinedin a conventional manner as indicated at 26 in Figure 2. Certain of theintertwined points of the fencing 24 are disposed adjacent each of thehooks 14 of the fence posts 9 with the exception of the topmost andbottommost hook of each fence post, and said intertwined portions 26 areengaged in the hooks 14 and are clamped thereby against the front sides11 of the fence posts 9 by tightening of the nuts 18, for effectivelysecuring the mesh wire 24 against the front sides of the fence posts 9.

The fence 8 may be made of any desired length and when disposed in thewater, as indicated in Figure 3, will be maintained in substantially anupright position with the floats 20 partially submerged so that theportion of the fence 8 disposed below the floats 20 will be disposedbelow the water level, as indicated at 27 in Figure 3, and will extenddownwardly to a sufficient depth to prevent floating seaweed frompassing therebeneath. The remaining upper portion of the fence 8, whichis disposed above the floats 20 will extend to substantially above thewater level 27 to prevent seaweed from being washed thereover. Ifdesired, the floats 20 may be disposed nearer to the upper edge of thefence 8, than as illustrated in the drawing, by securing the plates 19nearer to the upper ends of the posts 9 and 9a to insure that the fence8 will be maintained in an upright position, as illustrated in Figures 2and 3, or the lower end of the fence 8 may be weighted by means ofsuitable weights suspended from the fence posts 9 to accomplish thisresult. The ends of the fence 8 may be suitably anchored wheresufficient current or tide exists to cause sufiicient seaweed to bewashed against the fence, or the ends of the fence may be connected bysuitable cables 28 to suitable towing vessels 29 by means of which thefence may be slowly towed in an extended position, as illustrated inFigure 1,. for collecting the seaweed more rapidly where adequatecollection thereof may not be accomplished by the seaweed being washedagainst the fence. It will be readily obvious that the portions of thefence disposed between the fence posts may flex relatively to oneanother due to the flexibility of the cables 16 and the mesh wirefencing 24 and since the floats 20 may swing relatively to the fenceposts by their pivotal connection to the attaching plates 19.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated 10 and may obviouslybe resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of theinvention as hereinafter defined by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A seaweed collecting fence comprising a plurality of 15 longitudinallyspaced upright fence posts including intermediate and end fence posts,cables extending from endto-end of the fence and connecting said fenceposts adjacent the upper and lower ends of the fence-posts, platessecured to the fence posts, elongated rigid floats pivotally 20connected at their ends to adjacent ends of adjacent plates 4 andflexibly supported thereby between and relatively to the fence posts,and a strip of flexible mesh material extending from end-to-end of thefence and connected to each of the fence posts and to said cables.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 445,107 Willey Jan. 20, 1891 844,925 Elenterius Feb. 19, 1907873,195 Willets Dec. 10, 1907 1,028,671 Brooks June 4, 1912 1,139,239Trammell May 11, 1915 1,202,810 Daniels Oct. 31, 1916 1,274,299 McGowanJuly 30, 1918 2,369,464 Kalnitz Feb. 13, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 407,508 Italy -2 Oct. 23, 1944

